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Association between iron profile status and insulin resistance in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

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Abstract

Introduction

Individuals' burden of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, is increasing. This indicates to intrigue into various facets of prevention, early screening, prognostication and feasible treatment alternatives in this arena.

Aim

This study targets to evaluate iron profile status among people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus and normoglycemic in order to deduce association between iron parameters and insulin resistance, if any exist.

Methodology

A case-control study of total 123 subjects, comprising males and females in the age group of 30 - 70 years were recruited for the study. Case group constituted 81 participants who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus and control group constituted 42 healthy individuals who attended routine health check-ups in the hospital. Iron profile parameters including Serum Iron, Serum Ferritin, Total Iron binding Capacity and Glycemic profile parameter like fasting blood glucose, serum insulin were estimated. Transferrin saturation and HOMA-IR were calculated.

Result

Ferritin and Transferrin saturation was found to be higher in cases than in controls with significance of p = 0.003 and p = 0.021 respectively and TIBC (total iron-binding capacity) was lesser in cases with p = 0.031. Comparison of Serum Iron values did not yield a significant result. Correlation study between ferritin and insulin resistance parameters yielded a satisfactory result in the cases (p<0.05) and controls (p<0.01) separately.

Conclusion

This study implies that there is a clear link between iron profile status, notably ferritin, and the emergence of insulin resistance, and hence insulin production. This study supports the function of the micronutrient iron in the etiology of type 2 diabetes and its consequences.

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Acknowledgement

The authors wish to express their heartfelt gratitude to the Indian Council of Medical Research for funding the project (ICMR STS 2020).

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Author notes

  1. Reeba Maryam Sam, Shilpa S. Shetty and N Suchetha N. Kumari contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. KS Hegde Medical Academy, Nitte (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, India

    Reeba Maryam Sam

  2. Central Research Laboratory, KS Hegde Medical Academy, Nitte (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, India

    Shilpa S Shetty, Suchetha Kumari N, Sharmila KP & Prajna Bhandary

  3. Department of Biochemistry, KS Hegde Medical Academy, Nitte (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, India

    Suchetha Kumari N

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  1. Reeba Maryam Sam
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Correspondence to Suchetha Kumari N.

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Sam, R.M., Shetty, S.S., Kumari N, S. et al. Association between iron profile status and insulin resistance in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. J Diabetes Metab Disord 22, 1453–1458 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40200-023-01268-4

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